Ms Camidge and passengers Richard Wells, 19, William “Bill” Manton, 20, and Samantha Enright, 17, were killed instantly, adding to the 20 lives lost on far north coast roads since January. The crash site runs parallel to the upgraded Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Pacific Highway project.

Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn told The Daily Telegraph a combination of “speed and alcohol” were being investigated as causes of the crash.

“If somebody gets into a car and they’ve been drinking and they speed they will make bad decisions that will have devastating consequences,” Ms Burn said.

Friends of the victims at the scene of the quadruple fatal car accident on the Pacific Highway. Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource: News Corp Australia

She said, because of road conditions in the state’s north, police had increased resources on the ground. The crash happened on a hilly 80km/h section of road.

“There are road improvements happening and we all know where the black spots are but if people get into a car and they’re drinking and they’re speeding and they’ve got other people in the car they have to know they’re responsible,” Ms Burn said.

A school friend of Sam Enright turns up at the scene of the crash. Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource: News Corp Australia

“Whether you’re on a dual carriageway or a winding road, you have to drive to the conditions. More police isn’t necessarily the answer to preventing this but it doesn’t mean we’re not going to be putting more police out because even if it prevents one (death) then, to me, it’s worth it.”

Ms Burn said, with school formals, graduations and Schoolies imminent, parents should talk to teenagers about responsible driving and making smart decisions when travelling with friends.

The accident happened a short distance from the site of the 2006 Broken Head quadruple fatal, in which four young men died when their car hit a tree.

The coastal hamlet of Skennars Head yesterday mourned the death of Ms Enright. Her family was too distraught to discuss the accident.

Emergency services continue their work at the crash scene. Picture: Twitter/‏@tomforbes72Source: Supplied

“Whether you’re on a dual carriageway or a winding road, you have to drive to the conditions. More police isn’t necessarily the answer to preventing this but it doesn’t mean we’re not going to be putting more police out because even if it prevents one (death) then, to me, it’s worth it.”

Ms Burn said, with school formals, graduations and Schoolies imminent, parents should talk to teenagers about responsible driving and making smart decisions when travelling with friends.

The victims died at the scene after their car ploughed into a tree. Picture: Twitter/@CGreenbank9Source: Supplied

The accident happened a short distance from the site of the 2006 Broken Head quadruple fatal, in which four young men died when their car hit a tree.

The coastal hamlet of Skennars Head yesterday mourned the death of Ms Enright. Her family was too distraught to discuss the accident.

Xavier Catholic College — where she attended high school — allowed upset schoolmates to leave early.

Patricia Poole, who has lived at Newrybar for 30 years, told The Daily Telegraph she was woken by sirens and rescue helicopter.

“We didn’t hear the actual crash. We’re used to noise on this road. But then we heard what had happened. It’s terrible,’’ she said.

Police crash investigation officers spent hours combing through the debris of the mangled wreck before the car was taken back to the Ballina Crash Investigation Unit base for further examination.

There have been several fatal crashes in northern NSW this year, including a double fatality at Woodburn on August 23. In July two people died and one person was seriously injured in a crash on the Pacific Highway near Ballina.

THE POLITICS: ‘I WISH WE COULD FIX IT TOMORROW’

Workers move a sign near the scene of the crash. Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource: News Corp Australia

SINCE it began in 1996, the Pacific Highway upgrade has been a political football, with each side accusing the other of spending too little or delaying construction.

When completed in 2020, the highway will be a four-lane, divided road from Hexham, near Newcastle, to the Queensland border.

There is now a four-lane divided highway between Hexham and Port Macquarie and eight other sections of dual carriageway.

Three more, including the site of yesterday’s tragedy, are under construction and six sections are approved for future work.

This year Roads Minister Duncan Gay said $1.2 billion in federal and NSW funds were set aside for the upgrade. Last year $1 billion was allocated to the project.

But the opposition argues the government promised at the 2011 election to have the project completed in 2016.

In a budget estimates committee hearing last month opposition roads spokesman Walt Secord asked Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner if the government was sticking to its pledge.

Mr Stoner said the timetable was lengthened because the former Labor federal government had shifted the funding goalposts.

He also accused the former Labor state government of taking $300 million from the upgrade budget in 2008.

The NSW government has said restoring the funding model — 80 per cent from the Commonwealth and 20 per cent from NSW — has put the project back on track.

Yesterday, Mr Gay said the accident reinforced why the highway needed to be fixed as soon as possible: “I wish I could finish it tomorrow.”

WORST ROADS: NORTHERN ROADS TO NOWHERE

There were 65 road deaths in the Roads and Maritime Services Northern region, which includes the far north coast, in the 12 months to ­August 31, according to the latest official figures from the NSW Centre for Road Safety.

Add on the deaths yesterday and that figure now stands at 69 fatalities across the region.

The average annual toll for the northern region over the past three years was 72.

Sydney, with its vastly higher population, has the highest number of fatalities, with 103 killed so far this year, well above its average annual toll of 95.

Southern NSW had the next highest death rate with 48 people killed over the past 12 months.

Then came the Hunter with 44, western NSW with 41 deaths and the southwest region with 33.

A section of the Pacific Highway on the north coast was named the worst section of road in NSW in the NRMA’s 2013 ‘‘Seeing Red on Roads’’ survey. The two-lane section at Urunga, south of Coffs Harbour, received the most “red flags” in the survey of 10,000 NSW motorists.

Across NSW in August there were 29 fatalities, three fewer than in August of 2013 and the second lowest ­August total since record keeping began in 1936.

However, the state’s annual road toll is slightly up on the same period last year with 222 killed on our roads so far in 2014, compared with 219 fatalities in 2013.

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